It is well known to provide ballast regulating machines to regulate the distribution and shaping of ballast on a railroad track bed. Typically, the machines include plows to distribute the ballast between two track rails as the machine moves along the rails. The rails are fastened to cross ties which are supported on the railroad bed. Such plows which distribute the ballast on the field side (ends of the cross ties which extend outside and away from the tracks) are also known. Some tie plows typically consist of a rigidly mounted blade assembly having a blade which is lowered to a position atop the ends of the cross ties and which engages the upper surfaces of the cross ties as the machine moves along the track. It can be readily seen that if the upper surfaces of the cross ties are not substantially coplanar or if the ties have an upwardly projecting element on its upper surface, the blade is subjected to breaking or bending in response to it striking the uneven surface. Such bending or breaking of the blades require considerable "down time" in order to repair and/or replace damaged blades. Such a replacement is costly both from a standpoint of blade cost plus the cost of the "down time."
Some U.S. patents relating to apparatus for distributing ballast across a railroad bed are as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,184, issued Oct. 12, 1971, to Franz Plasser et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,249,325, issued Feb. 10, 1981, to Josef Theurer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,351, issued May 12, 1981, to Emmett W. Cox; U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,969, issued Jan. 17, 1989, to Rolando Naggar; U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,887, issued Jun. 6, 1989, to Josef Theurer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,133, issued Oct. 1, 1991, to Pierre Mohr; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,608, issued Mar. 24, 1992, to Josef Theurer.
Another type of tie plow assembly (such as disclosed in my co-pending application entitled "Ballast Shoulder Cleaner," filed on Oct. 4, 1993) utilizes a spring-loaded blade assembly and an upper support plate which supports the blades. The blades are mounted in such a manner that while being adjustable in up and down position, they are always extended away from the sides of the machine.
Typically, a ballast broom mechanism is utilized to follow the tie plows to further aid in "dressing" the ballast bed. The ballast broom mechanism cleans any remaining ballast from the top of the ties which extend outwardly from the rails and from around the field side of the rail area. The ballast broom mechanism includes a first broom assembly which is mounted on a horizontal shaft and rotatable to sweep the top of the ties outside the rail. The "horizontally mounted" broom assembly utilizes a spiral reel having the sweeping elements attached thereto for sweeping the ballast to the outside of the track shoulder. The second broom assembly is mounted to a vertical shaft. This "vertical shaft broom assembly" sweeps along the outside of the rail base, cleaning the rail base and the tie plate area. As this vertical shaft rotates, it discharges some of its rocks forward into the first broom assembly (horizontal shaft broom assembly), which sweeps them to the outside. Other rocks are carried directly to the track shoulder by the vertical broom assembly.
The rocks that are swept from the tops of the cross ties are deposited on the track shoulder and build up upon one another to form a ridge adjacent to and beyond the ends of the cross ties. Apparatus of the present invention provides for "dressing" these ridges by "flattening out" these ridges to provide well-dressed shoulders at the ends of the cross ties.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a ballast "dressing" apparatus (ridge plow) which distributes and dresses ballast on a railroad track bed on the outside of the rails.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a ridge plow with a blade assembly having at least one vertically extending blade disposed for predetermined angular relation with the rails to move ballast away and to the outside of the rails.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide such a plow assembly with means to provide up and down movement thereto.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such blade assembly with means to extend and retract the blade assembly away from and adjacent to the sides of the ballast machine responsive to the downward and upward movement of the blade assembly.